Naval vessels traditionally have been designed to be single-purpose ships, e.g., for one mission type; however, modern ships are increasingly being built and designed to incorporate and support multipurpose missions. For example, littoral combat ships (LCS), Navy joint high-speed vessels (JHSVs) and generic offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), among others, are currently being designed to be multi-purpose with reconfigurable spaces allowing for flexibility in mission package equipment. In such designs, ships require the capability to change mission module equipment in a timely and efficient manner. The timely change out of mission module equipment is crucial to allow the vessel to return to service as soon as possible.
Change out of mission packages requires special-purpose systems to mobilize and transition modules to stowage locations onboard a vessel. The special-purpose transport systems typically need to be maneuverable in very small spaces. Although there are many systems currently in use, there exist no viable mobilization systems that combine simplicity, speed, low-maintenance, low-cost, flexibility, and ease of use into a single package. For example, commercially available systems such as powered prime mover-type trucks are difficult to maneuver in confined spaces, are heavy (which affects overall ship payload and stability), are expensive to operate and do not have the flexibility needed to efficiently transport and stow large containers used to store and transport the mission module equipment. And, by way of illustration, the use of current mobilization systems, e.g., powered trucks, gantry cranes, etc., can take upwards of three hours to move one container to stowage.